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Ridesharing and Background Checks – The Latest News

You can’t miss the stories in the news lately. Ride sharing services are everywhere and expanding to more locations each month. These simple-to-use, economical transportation solutions are wildly popular with drivers and riders alike.

With so much being written about background screening and ridesharing, we wanted to keep you up to date on the latest news from the background screening industry. Here are three events you need to know about:

Austin, Texas, is asking ridesharing companies to fingerprint at least 50% of their drivers by August 1st.

Alluding to increased concern for passenger safety, the Austin city council has asked rideshare companies to increase their fingerprint-based screening by early next month. However, the Austin city council has found that there is often little recourse for the city against companies who are not fingerprinting their drivers. The council is investigating adding amendments that would require monthly reporting from companies on the number of drivers fingerprinted.

With a booming tourist industry, Las Vegas is a prime target for gig-economy drivers and companies like Uber or Lyft. However, many taxi companies are pushing back against the new competition and lobbying lawmakers for changes. They claim that driver background checks are less comprehensive than those that taxi drivers undergo during their employment. In 2015, a lawmaker pushed for language requiring FBI background checks, but it did not make the final bill.

While the vote has been delayed, the Jefferson Parish Council has made waves in its heightened background check proposal for rideshare drivers. The proposal would require background checks for drivers and a $200, 000 annual operating fee to generate revenue for law enforcement and complaint handling. Drivers would also be required to be background checked and drug tested yearly, while taxi drivers are only required to undergo these procedures at the start of their employment.